Official organ and tissue donation registration card issued by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, documenting an individual's voluntary pledge to donate vital organs and tissues after death under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA 1994)
Under Section 3 of the THOTA Act, even if you carry a registered NOTTO Donor Card, doctors CANNOT harvest organs without the signed written consent of your immediate family (spouse, parents, or adult children). Sharing your decision with your family is the most critical step to ensure your pledge is realized.
💡 An Organ Donor Pledge Card is an official legal card issued by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), New Delhi. It records your formal decision to donate your organs and tissues after death. While the card expresses your explicit wish, under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), actual post-mortem retrieval requires the written legal consent of your next of kin. Carrying the card and informing your family ensures your wish is honored.
Differentiating post-mortem deceased donation, living relative transplantation, and medical anatomical dissection.
| Donation Vertical | Governing Framework | Timing & Biological Nature | Primary Purpose & Beneficiary |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOTTO Deceased Organ Donor Pledge | National Organ Donor Registry Pledge Card | Post-mortem donation of vital organs and tissues following certified Brain-Stem Death (BSD) or cardiac arrest | Requires next-of-kin written consent at time of death; can save up to 8 lives and enhance 50+ lives through tissues. |
| Living Donor Authorization Committee Order | THOTA Form 1 / Form 2 Living Organ Clearance | Donation of one kidney or portion of liver by a living near-relative during their lifetime | Subject to strict statutory scrutiny by State/Hospital Authorization Committee to eliminate commercial trafficking. |
| Whole Body Anatomical Gift Form | Anatomy Act Medical College Donation Pledge | Donation of entire deceased cadaver to a medical college anatomy department | Used for medical student training and surgical research; distinct from NOTTO organ transplantation. |
Digital Donor Card generated instantly upon completing online OTP-verified registration on the NOTTO portal; registered directly in the National Organ Donor Registry.
Zero fees. 100% free national voluntary registry. Selling or purchasing human organs is a non-bailable criminal offense punishable with up to 10 years imprisonment under THOTA.
Any individual who has attained 18 years of age and is of sound mind. There is no upper age limit for pledging organs; medical suitability of specific organs is assessed by transplant coordinators at the time of retrieval.
Any citizen aged 18 years or older who wishes to make a voluntary, non-commercial statutory pledge to donate their vital organs (kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, pancreas, intestine) and tissues (corneas, skin, bone, heart valves) upon declared brain-stem death or cardiac arrest to save lives.
Visit https://notto.mohfw.gov.in/ and click on 'Pledge for Organ Donation' / 'Register as Donor'.
Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number and submit the 6-digit OTP sent by UIDAI to fetch verified name, gender, and date of birth.
Choose whether you wish to donate all organs and tissues, or specify individual organs (Heart, Lungs, Liver, Kidneys, Pancreas, Intestine) and tissues (Corneas, Skin, Bones, Heart Valves).
Enter the names, relationships, phone numbers, and addresses of two family members who agree to act as your donation surrogates.
Submit the form to receive your permanent NOTTO Registration Number; download and print your personalized wallet-sized color Donor Card.
Log into your NOTTO profile to update phone numbers or change nominated next-of-kin if family circumstances change.
Add or exclude specific organs from your donation mandate through the 'Update Pledge' dashboard.
Organ donation is 100% voluntary; you can revoke your pledge at any time with a single click, removing your name from the national registry.
Navigate to https://notto.mohfw.gov.in/ and select 'Print Donor Card'.
Input the mobile number or donor pledge registration ID used during sign-up.
Enter the one-time password sent to your mobile phone.
Download the color PDF card showing your photograph, blood group, NOTTO QR code, and list of pledged organs.
Resolving online registry technical bottlenecks and emergency contact updates.
| Issue Observed | Likely Cause | Actionable Remedy |
|---|---|---|
| Aadhaar OTP not received on mobile during NOTTO registration | UIDAI registered mobile number mismatch | Ensure your mobile number is updated in UIDAI records, or sign up via email authentication if Aadhaar OTP times out. |
| NOTTO donor card generated without donor photograph | UIDAI database sync latency during profile creation | Log into the NOTTO portal after 24 hours, click 'Edit Profile', and upload a passport-size photo to regenerate the card. |
| Hospital unable to locate donor pledge record during emergency | NOTTO National Registry integration with ROTTO/SOTTO | Family members should produce the physical donor card or quote the NOTTO Registration Number to the hospital Medical Superintendent. |
Yes. Spectacle wearers, individuals who have undergone cataract surgery, or those with refractive errors can still donate their corneas. Cornea transplants restore sight by replacing damaged cornea tissue, which is unaffected by standard refractive errors.
Brain-Stem Death is the complete and irreversible cessation of all brain-stem functions, confirmed through two separate clinical apnea evaluations conducted 6 hours apart by a board of 4 certified medical experts under THOTA rules. Although machines keep the heart beating temporarily, the person is legally and clinically dead.
No. Under statutory guidelines, all costs associated with organ retrieval, surgical harvesting, preservation, and logistics are entirely borne by the transplant recipient or the hospital/government transplant fund. The donor family is never billed for organ retrieval.
No. Organs retrieved from deceased donors are allocated purely on objective medical criteria (urgency, blood group compatibility, tissue matching, and waiting list seniority) managed transparently through NOTTO, ROTTO, and SOTTO computer algorithms. Directed donation to acquaintances is barred.
Central registry for organ donation pledges, waiting list allocation protocols, and donor data.
Statutory legal framework governing brain-stem death declaration, organ harvesting, and ethical compliance.
Official clinical synopsis and medico-legal document issued by hospitals upon completion of inpatient admission or surgery, detailing final diagnosis (ICD-10), clinical hospital course, surgical procedures performed, diagnostic findings, discharge medications, and mandatory documentation for health insurance cashless and reimbursement claim settlement
Official statutory medical certificate issued by a Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) under National Medical Commission (NMC) regulations and Central Civil Services Leave Rules, certifying clinical diagnosis, mandatory convalescence rest, and subsequent medical fitness for resuming employment or academic duties
Official maternal and neonatal health passport issued jointly by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Ministry of Women & Child Development (MoWCD), tracking antenatal checkups (ANC), High-Risk Pregnancy (HRP) indicators, institutional delivery, Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) DBT grants, and infant immunization schedules up to five years of age
Official statutory medical concession certificate and IRCTC Divyangjan Photo Identity Card issued under Ministry of Railways rules and certified by a Government Civil Surgeon, enabling persons with benchmark disabilities and their accompanying escorts to avail 50% to 75% rail travel fare concessions across express and premium trains
How to write, sign, witness, register (optional) and store a valid will in India, and what happens after death
Official apex organization under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
NOTTO National Registry Portal →